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Meet Alethia Hudson

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Alethia Hudson.

Please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Alethia Hudson Designs has been nearly 35 years in the making. I guess I can say I initially started my business when I was in my Junior year of high school. I had been sewing since I was about eight years old. I watched my mom, who was a registered nurse, come home from her shift work and sew us clothes for either school, church, or some special function. I started taking her scraps and creating gowns and dresses for my doll. My mom saw that I was really interested in learning more about sewing so she wanted to enroll me in a local two-week class. However, I was a little underage. But, because I was tall for my age, I could pass for the requirement. So, she fudged my age on the application to get me in. That was the start of my own personal sewing journey. I still have a picture of me in the garment I made from that class over 40 years ago. I continued to take classes in middle school home economics; that was the extent of my formal training. After making some of my own clothes in high school and creating my senior prom gown, the word got around in my neighborhood. At that time, the big trend was turning flare-legged jeans into straight-legged jeans. So, because the kids knew I could sew, they would pay me to do it for them. I guess you could say that’s where my business originally started.

The following year, I was commissioned to do something I had never done, and that was to make my cousin’s wedding gown and her bridesmaid dresses. That was the informal start of my dressmaking business. Shortly afterwards, I got married and still continued to sew for family and friends, all while working a full-time job. After having my first son, I became a stay-at-home mom. It is then that I decided to turn my hobby into a serious business. Under the name of Alethia’s Dressmaking and Design, I started creating anything formal- prom dresses, wedding gowns, cotillion gowns, bridesmaid dresses, etc. I, also, made church wear for the ladies, dancewear, christening gowns, even some vest, shirts, and ties for the men, however, after both my boys started school, I took a hiatus from business and started working a full-time job working as a manager in the alterations department of a local bridal chain. It is there that I learned more business sense- payroll, scheduling, how to interact with and respond to clients in various situations. I would still occasionally sew for family and friends. While working, I also learned expert alteration techniques. Alterations was one of the things that I hated doing. But, it was the one thing that increased my sewing and designing skill set.

As I mentioned earlier, middle school home economics was the extent of my formal training. I took it from there and continued to teach myself through videos, books, and by trial and error. I always believed that if it was done, I could do it. So, I would watch anything with ideas- classic movies, fashion shows, window shopping, thumbing through magazines, etc. However, throughout all of my years of sewing and alterations, taking things apart afforded me to see how they were professionally put together, I simply imitated and practiced the techniques and knowledge that I acquired,

Now that my boys are grown, I decided to restart my business full time and with full force. This time, Alethia Hudson Designs exclusively specializes in bridal and formal wear for ladies and girls of all ages.

As an extension of my business, I teach sewing classes any opportunity that I get. I teach locally ( private or group classes) and online through my Facebook group, Sew Much Talent. Sew Much Talent is a platform to teach, inspire, and showcase others sewing and crafting talents. It is through this platform that I started the charitable outreach to The Lydia Project.

I learned of The Lydia Project is an organization that supports women and young girls dealing with all types of cancer, in 2003, when my mother-in-law was diagnosed with cervical cancer. ( She is a 16-year survivor). I happened upon their store when I walked into their business, really being nosey because that was now occupying the building that I had been eyeing for my business for some time. But, as God would have it ( I don’t believe in coincidences), I would use my talent of sewing to help give back to women dealing with cancer, by creating tote bags that are given to the women and girls as a tangible way of letting them know that someone is always with them supporting them and they do not have to go through this journey alone. I have been volunteering with The Lydia Project ever since. Since that time, my local group of Sew much Talent volunteers get together on the 2nd Saturday of each month and sew tote bags. I take this time to teach others how to sew the totes. I have also started a fundraiser for the Lydia Project by hosting a fashion show with food and vendors included. It is during the third fundraiser that Alethia Hudson Designs reintroduced itself to our local community.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not always been a smooth road to running a home studio. Some of the biggest struggles is being taken as seriously as a business. Whether it’s your pricing that’s in question because your overhead is not visible to them; or, people respecting your time. I would get calls all times of the night about business, and I would even get occasional unscheduled pop-ups at my door. Outside of that, the seasonal ups and downs of business. One-minute business is booming and the next business is little to none. However, I am learned to “do business” and set the expectations of my customers through established pricing structures, scheduling formats, and business policies.

What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
Alethia Hudson Designs is a company that specializes in designing and creating bridal and formal wear for women and young girls, and expert alterations. I create wedding gowns, prom gowns, cotillion gowns, bridesmaid and mother of the bride/groom dresses, etc. I, also, refashion wedding gowns into Christening gowns for the firstborn babies of the bride. Most of my clients either come in with an inspiration picture and want their own spin on it, or they come with a description and I illustrate it for her. After our initial consultation, I generally do a test fit with her from the pattern I have drafted for her. After a few followup fittings, the fit is perfected and her gown is created.

I am most proud of delivering exceptional service and giving my client what she wants and not letting her leave until she is satisfied.

What sets me apart from others is listening to my client, partnering with her to bring what she envisioned to life. Majority of my clients are repeat customers and they spread the word, so I do no advertising.

What were you like growing up?
I was the kid watching my mom while she sewed our clothes. I would take her scraps and make my doll clothes too. I watched everything. If it was something I wanted to do, I studied it until I got it. If you told me I couldn’t do something, but I wanted to do it, I found a way to do it. At 14 years old, I was putting on makeup like a pro because I watched this show that came on every Saturday morning, Style by Elsa Klentsch. It was a 30-minute show that showcased fashion, beauty tips, and home decor. I watched that show religiously. I learned to apply my makeup and arch my eyebrows. I learned about the popular designers and the fashion houses. I soaked it all up. I was a homebody and a “churchgirl” ( I still am [smile]). If I wasn’t studying my bible or doing homework, my face was in the tv watching PBS ( Public Broadcasting Stations) soaking up any of the sewing programs that was airing, looking through fashion magazines, or shopping for fabric and patterns with my mother, Everything I saw, I wanted to try to make it, with the help of my mother, who was my original sewing mentor. In later years, I learned that sewing was a family bent. My great-great-grandfather was a tailor in the Augusta, GA area around 1917 or so. And, I was told that my great-great-grandmother could sew. I was told that she could go windowshopping, see something she liked, go home and cut it out in the newspaper and wear it the next day. So, It is in my blood to create clothes.

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                                    Image Credit:
Pamela Williams Photography
Garnetta McGuire Photography
Devin Hudson Photography

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